Hi all,

I've been admitted to both Harvard and Columbia. As I'm committed to an academic career Yale would have been my top choice (and I hope many of those who made it to YLS will reject their offers...). But most probably it will be either Harvard or Columbia. People keep telling me: "What are you thinking about? Go for HLS!" But is it really that clear? I have heard so many negative comments on the quality of the LL.M. program and the way LL.M. students are treated there. Besides, NYC rules...

Any thoughts are appreciated (especially of those who are currently studying either at CLS or HLS).

Maybe I should add that from a financial point of view it doesn't make a great difference whether I go to HLS or CLS.

Hey, I just joined but I've been closely following many threads for quite some time...

Obligator, you may be right with some points you made about Harvard - but still Harvard is Harvard. Don't make a mistake!

If you're committed to teaching and scholarship, your decision should take into consideration faculty of Harvard and Columbia, respectively. Are there scholars whose example you would like to follow, in either Harvard and Columbia? If both are equally strong on your chosen field(s), then it's more difficult. But I would maintain that the burden of proof lies on those who suggest Columbia. I believe most Americans would choose Harvard over Columbia, so if you want to do oherwise, you need to have strong arguments.

I absolutely support tmalmine's arguments. But it's true that Harvard is probably overweighed a lot. Some rankings (especially with regard to LL.M. programs) even see Columbia at the top of the league. But anyway, I'd go for Harvard. You can't really go wrong by taking it while CLS might be somewhat risky.

I would (will?) choose Harvard...200% Harvard.

coco summed it up beautifully on another post

"It all depends where you want to work and what you want to study. If you want to stay in the US get a JD from a tier 1 school. If you want big $$ you should work in New York, in which case NYU and Columbia are without a doubt your picks. As another poster mentioned earlier, just go to the websites of all the top US firms and check out where they all went to law school - that is concrete evidence. If you want to teach or work in government/policy making or the judiciary then perhaps Harvard and Yale are the way to go."